


Hello, Goodbye

by YouKeepMeRight



Series: Merthur a kiss a day challenge [10]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canon Era, First Kiss, Idiots in Love, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:08:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25783390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YouKeepMeRight/pseuds/YouKeepMeRight
Summary: Following a post on Tumblr, I will write a story for every prompt in the list. It's my first attempt to publish something like this, but I adore these two idiots too much to not try it.Day 10: a hello/goodbye kiss that is given without thinking – where neither person thinks twice about it
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Merthur a kiss a day challenge [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1831621
Comments: 7
Kudos: 117





	Hello, Goodbye

The future King of Camelot was definitely **not** blushing. Arthur Pendragon had always been proud of his stoicism; he was known for keeping a stiff upper lip. How could he feel like this right now? His palms were sweating, his legs felt as wobbly as if he had swam for too long in a lake. All this nonsense for a damned kiss. _That_ should have been one of those moments in life where you blink and pretend nothing happened.

A few hours before, Merlin entered his chambers talking about how beautiful the sky was on that particular morning. When Merlin opened the curtains, the bright light of the sun made Arthur groan; he just wanted to turn his head and sleep till the day was over. He knew he had duties, but he also craved rest.

“Rise and shine, lazy daisy!”

Merlin and his stupid phrases! Arthur couldn't repress a smile at the words. His manservant was really the kind of idiot Arthur needed in his life.

After he tied the curtains back to keep them opened, Merlin went to warm up water for Arthur's bath while the prince sat on the edge of the bed, yawning. Arthur passed a hand through his ruffled hair, watching Merlin's back; he was wearing the purple tunic that morning. Arthur secretly adored that colour on the boy, it brought out Merlin's eyes best.

When Merlin turned his head, Arthur realized that he was staring at his manservant. To hide his embarrassment, the only thing he thought to do was try to take off his shirt, pretending he was getting ready for his bath. His half-asleep state coupled with the fact that he was actually gazing adoringly at Merlin, however, did not help Arthur to perform a simple gesture like that.

Arthur got tangled in his white shirt, arms up in the air, the strings of the tunic wrapped around his wrists. Half of his abdomen was visible, but every struggled movement Arthur tried to do only made things worse. From the other side of the room, Arthur heard a muffled chuckle.

“If you are laughing at me _Mer_ lin, I promise I'll have you hanged!” Arthur grumbled.

In a minute, Merlin was at Arthur's side, freeing him easily from the tangle of clothes Arthur trapped himself into.

“Hello! You are adorable, did you know that?” Merlin said before gently pressing his lips to Arthur's.

A heartbeat later, Merlin was running like a maniac from his chambers, leaving Arthur sitting on his bed, the bath long forgotten and the white tunic still held tight in his hands.

**

The next day, Merlin was back to doing his usual routine. He had claimed he wasn't feeling well the day before in an effort to avoid seeing Arthur. Even if Merlin continued to do his tasks like nothing changed, there was misery in his eyes. Arthur decided to follow his lead for the sake of their friendship.

However, when Arthur left his chambers that evening, something changed.

His father, King Uther had asked his son to hunt and kill a beast that had been seen very close to Camelot's forests. It had already killed dozens of knights, the few left were needed to protect the castle.

“You can't go there alone,” Merlin murmured while he stuck the wood in the fireplace.

“So you **_are_** able to speak, I thought for a moment you lost your tongue,” Arthur replied, rolling his eyes. He paced in front of the windows, a pensive hand under his chin.

“Stop it, Arthur,” Merlin said, turning towards Arthur. His manservant eyes seemed a little cloudy, but his expression was determined and fierce. “My duty is to protect you. I'll come with you,” he proclaimed decisively.

“No,” Arthur replied, walking towards him. “You can't come with me, it's too dangerous”

“But...”

“No, Merlin, don't even think about that! I've already lost a lot of my men; do you think I could bear to lose you too?” Arthur asked in a tremulous voice. 

“I didn't know you cared,” Merlin whispered, looking at his own feet; his face pale in the dim light of the fire.

“You didn't...?” Arthur began to ask, coming within arm’s reach of Merlin.

“Listen to me. We have a lot to talk about, I know that. Please don't pretend nothing happened just because of who I am. Merlin, look at me,” Arthur commanded while lifting Merlin's chin with his right hand. When their eyes locked, Arthur couldn't resist anymore. He pressed a gentle kiss to Merlin's lips.

The sound of a sharp intake of breath was the only answer Merlin could give, unable to draw away from the blissful kiss. When they parted for air, Merlin licked his lips, the taste of his prince still vivid and tempting.

“This is not a goodbye,” Arthur told him, looking at his lips with hunger. “It’s a promise”.

Arthur left his chambers determined to come back as soon as possible. He and Merlin had lots of things to speak about and lots of things to do.

**Author's Note:**

> It seems I am not able to pubblish something everyday (real life! *shakes fist*)  
> I'll try not to give up this challenge tho, these two idiots are too adorable!  
> As usual, many thanks to my rock in this adventure @mother-of-lions


End file.
